China denies soldiers' incursion into India

Beijing has rejected reports from India that Chinese troops had crossed the border and set up camp on a disputed area on the Indian side of the Himalayas.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday dismissed complaints from the Indian government, saying claims that soldiers intruded into Indian territory and erected a camp on Ladakh were mere “speculation”.

China said its frontier patrols had “never trespassed” the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border separating China and India. New Delhi and Beijing signed two accords to maintain peace in border areas in 1993 and 1996, reports AFP.

She also stressed that “China values its relations with India” and “would like to develop sound, steady, long-term relation”. Both sides had agreed that “the boundary issue should not affect the larger interests of bilateral relations,” reports The Hindu.

Salman Khurshid, India’s foreign minister, said both sides were holding flag meetings to address the issue.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony asserted that India would resolve the situation in accordance to India’s interests. “We are taking every action to protect our interest… We will take every step to protect our interest,” he said.